The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1887-09-02
Feminine Suptrstitions.
SOME NOTEWORTHY ILLUsTRATIoNs--
QUEER SIGNS AND PoRTRNTs.

noticed neat modest looking
young lady pushing her way along in
the crowd on Kearny street the other
day, and was surprised to see 80 much
spirit manifested by girl of her dainty
appearance. When she met several lad
les she would,crowd closely to the street
edge or the wall, but when men came
along she marched boldly between
them. Calling the attention of another
lady to her strange manner, she said:
"Oh, ] always do that, too. l un-
derstand it; she's superstitious."
SHOW is thati" l asked.
"Well, You see it brings good luck
to separate men, when you meet them,
but nothing breeds misfortune 80 sure
ly as to divide two women on the
street.
l looked to see il she we're testing,
but saw at once that Judge could not
be more serious.
"And do you believe that nonsense7'
l asked.
"Why, s'pose it's foolish" she an
swered, "but | know if l ever do it..
something happens. Now, just yester-
day was with another lady and was
ashamed to turn out, and we went
right between two women, and at din
ner swallowed toothpick and came
near choking to death"
"But you didn't die,' l suggested.
"No, but was awfully scared
That evening went to a party and
tried to find out the pet superstition of
each girl l danced with. And they all
have them. One wouldn't 90 under a
leaning ladder, another would be sure
of becoming i'll if she saw the moon
over her left shoulder, another would
not read an epitaph for fear of losing
her memory. One girl told me she
could stop dogs howl any time by
taking off her shoe and splitting in it.
In drawing her kerchief from her bos
ON narrow slip of paper fluttered to
the ground, on which were some hero
glyphics. "Oh, my charm!7 she ex-
claimed. supposed she had lost an
article of jewelry, and was searching
about for it when she seized upon the
scrap of paper as though it were deed
to San Diego corner lot. My curios-
ity was aroused, and she explained
that it was charm insuring success in
undertakings, purchased by her at q
great price from an Egyptian fortune
teller in Paris, and that its possession
alone amounted to nothing, but it must
be put into the pocket or in the bosom
of dress during the recital of an
Egyptian verse. If one failed to re-
member that, however, the Lords
prayer might be substituted.
In the midst CT an entrancing waltz
with one lady she suddenly paused and
pressed her hand spasmodically to her
upper lip.
"What is it," I asked.
81 was 80 afraid l should sneeze,"
she remarked, 81 wouldn't for any
thing tonight"
"Why tonight more than any time7"
"Oh, it's Friday, and 'sneeze on Fri
day, sneeze to your sorrow And it
comes true, too, if l ever do forget.
Did you never hear the rhyme
Sneeze on Monday, sneeze for danger;
On Tuesday for stranger,
On Wednesday for a letter,
On Thursday for something better,
On Friday for your sorrow,
On Saturday, company tomorrow.
81 always try to sneeze on Saturday,"
she added naively.
have taken notes since then, and
find there is not one of the sweet crea-
lures that has not her pet superstitious
whim. have little friend on Van
Ness avenue who would 60 to church
with her sealskin jacket wrong side
out, if by any improbability she hap
pened to get it on that way, rather
than incur the bad luck sure
to overtake her by taking it off to
change 1t. know a girl on -Four
teenth street, in Oakland, who becomes
quite radiant when her dressmaker is
obliged to rip seam she has Just sew
ed, as she is sure she will live to wear
the garment out. remember visiting
ranch where bees were kept and the
hostess telling me the honey was
failure that year on account of their
Deglecting to rap on the bee-house to
tell the occupants that her father had
died. "He died very suddenly" she
said, pathetically, 'and the surprise
and hurry and all we forgot all about
it until daylight, and it was too late
then, for he'd been dead four hours,
and the bees must be told within the
hour or you'll lose EN-, all, and sure
enough we did,"
In Cincinnati beautiful young
saleswoman in dry-goods house went
fearlessly into the family of a wealthy
banker and nursed three adults through
a siege of smallpox, although she had
never had the disease, because there
was superstition in her family that
those born between such and such
hours under The planet Uranus should
never lose their beauty while they liv-
ed. She took the large sum of money
she thus earned, for the banker was
grateful and lavish, and with i. she and
her brother went to Kansas City,
where they invested it in real estate,
made money in the venture, came out
here and to-day are among our well-to-
do citizens. In that case superstition
paid better than in the instance of the
jealous bridesmaid who recently threw
rice after the carriage containing the
bridal couple in st. Louis and wound
ed the bride in the eyes so that she
had to keep bandages on them for
forty-eight hours.
Actress are said to have their little
vagaries in this line, like the rest of
their sex. While Adelaide Nelson
was playing Juliet in Haverly's Thea
tire she broke her dressing glass in the
greenroom. Another was brought and
the lady who played the Nurse broke
that, while the Romeo of the company
stepped on a small handglass and
broke it. 81 wonder which of US will
go frst,' said Adelaide, pale to her lips
"for you know the breaking of mir
ror means sure death" And an act
raaa who uaa praaant that niobt look